Personal Narrative: My El Salvador Trip

I’ve always thought of myself as a person who has a interesting background and childhood. My childhood would consist of fails, near death experiences, and anything crazy or out of the ordinary from other people’s childhoods. Most of my days would consist of going to school, seeing something amazing or crazy, go home, and do homework. Occasionally, I would go to the park where i would explore new places or just walk around and try to make new friends. Most of the time, I would just explore my surroundings and enjoy nature as much as I can. Whenever I would go to El Salvador, I would walk around in big forest and enjoy how fresh the air is. The air over in the countryside is pure and makes you feel at peace due how low the co2 levels are in

The classic saying, “There’s always someone who has it worse than you” (Shaggy- Keepin’ it Real), didn’t come true to me until I had first-hand experience. As a child, I grew up in the lower middle class. So I wasn’t rich nor super poor. My mother came to the United States from El Salvador in the 1980’s. She has never taken my brother and me to her home country.

I was born in a small town called Sesori in the country of El Salvador. El Salvador lays in the global south and it is extremely crime infested. I came to the United States of America when I was a small child; however, growing up in El Salvador allowed me to witness many of my neighbors and family members suffer from insufficient access to medicine. Knowing this has made me become a hardworking individual who acknowledges the opportunities and blessing that the United States offers its people. I wish to one day become a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner and activist for woman's protection all around the world through an international humanitarian non-governmental organization called Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders). I want to help individuals worldwide where the need is greatest. The world is in need of help with the

This question drove me back to high school. I attended a military school back from my home country, Ecuador, we only where surrounded by males. It was not difficult for me to cope, because I was in my comfort zone. However, I moved to New York City 10 years ago and I am still in the process of adaptation. I am still seeking to develop coping skills to adapt to my new environments, work, school, friends. Similar, I wanted to fit in and I seek for people that look, think and come from my same backgrounds. But, I did not give myself the opportunity to look for other friends. I even isolated myself. Once I started to give the chance to other people I got in trouble, because they want to use you, people want to take advantage of you one way or another,

I traveled to Nicaragua the summer before my senior year of high school, and it changed my perspective on many things in life. It was crazy that I went to serve them, but I had no idea what to expect when I got there. The people I met were the most grateful people I had ever met and despite the little they had, they managed to be some of the genuine people I met as well. I knew that one day I would use my medical experience to give back to this community, and it is an honor to know I can use this summer to make that happen.

I rode down the road with anticipation as many thoughts and questions raced through my mind. Scared to death, I tried to suppress these thoughts and gather up all the courage I had within myself because we were almost to our destination. What would this experience be like? What exactly would I be doing? I was in unknown territory in Louisville, Kentucky, where I knew no one except for the other members of my youth group. “Okay everyone, we are almost there. Gather up all your stuff you need. Make sure you leave all valuables on the bus,” I heard my youth pastor say. He continued, “No name tags and do not tell anyone your full name. Not even the children.” My eyes got wide as soon as I heard this, and I wondered what in the world I had gotten

I cried as the plane took off, and I squeezed my sister's hand tightly, as if that was going to help the plane stay in the sky. As soon as the plane reached 32,000 feet, I felt as if weight had been lifted off my shoulder, and I knew God was watching over me. As soon as the mission team and I stepped on to the White Dove farm, where we were staying, we felt the presence of God all around us. The farm felt peaceful, and felt as if we were protected from the dangers lurking outside the gate. We all unpacked and settled down into our beds. Before I went to bed I prayed to God and thanked him for allowing me to face my fear of the small plane ride to

It was a Monday in the summer of 2015. I was riding in an old 11 passenger van with 30 other people, on our way back from playing soccer. Most of the people were Guatemalan children screaming at the top of their lungs as the van rocked side to side as we drove up a narrow, winding, mountain road without guide rails. In the summer of 2015, I went to Guatemala for ten days, on a mission trip. My team (18 youth and pastors of East Side Church of God) and I visited four different Indian vilages: Chupol, Paquisis, Sacbichol, and Agua Escondita. We spent two days in each village and slept in each village’s church.

world we need each one another. However, sometime it’s better to make your decision alone. If you make your own decision you will be responsibility for your own mistake.

When I was 5 years old I was to go to Kindergarten. The thing is that I didn't do preschool at a public school so I had to change to Rio Calaveras. My first time entering Rio Calaveras I say how beautiful the school was and slowly I entered my Kindergarten class.

On July 1st I headed out to Newark airport, with only a duffel bag in hand, and began the month long trip that changed my life. Not many people can say that in one month they traveled up the northwestern half of the United States and into Canada, then set sail on a cruise to Alaska, and then flew to Hawaii afterwards. Over the duration of the trip I endured over thirty hours in plane delays, three-hundred dollars in overuse charges from out-of-country phone usage, and getting lost in the middle of nowhere: Skagway, Alaska. On the first day of the trip I can remember being a nervous wreck. Leaving behind my secure, fun, and comforting life in Tenafly to fly all the way across the country with strangers seemed foreign to me. Over the course of

It came around 2:30 P.M.; we had been talking, dancing, and waiting together for 5 hours, and our bus still hadn’t come. Anyone could tell how exhausted we were by the looks on our faces. Just as I had convinced myself that our bus was next, a message came over the speakers: “Buses 91-100 will not be leaving today. Due to traffic delays, the buses are now needed to go pick up volunteers from this morning. All remaining participants: follow your leader to the Cobo Center.” In one moment, my struggling smile faded and I was on the verge of tears. Thoughts flooded my mind: “How could this happen? Didn’t they know they needed a few more buses? I waited all this time for nothing? How could I miss this, it’s what I came here for!” Deep down I knew God had much more in store for me, but at the time I felt cheated out of an essential part of the trip. Our tiny circle of six sat in silence for a while, dejected and a little angry. We were given our lunch and began to eat together, but the almost tangible silence remained hanging in the air.

In spring of 2016, my youth group and I began planning a trip to a neighboring city. This wasn’t just any trip however, we were going on a mission. Each of us there were bound and determined to

My grandpa told me to be safe and his mustache tickled as he kissed my cheek. I hugged and kissed my grandma then walked to the line. A sign and security employee directed me to place my backpack on a x-ray conveyor then walk through the gate. On the other side was my escort who would take me to the plane. She brought me to the plane and I boarded before the other passengers. I relaxed until the first passengers arrived. I quietly listened to their conversations and waited for the passengers who would sit next to me in the center isle. The doors were shut and still my row was empty except for me.

My journey the day I left my home country in search of a better life was not as pleasurable or exciting as I expected. Although it was not a long flight, the accumulation of unexpected vicissitudes during the trip made my dream of traveling an absolute nightmare. Not only my sadness to be leaving my family behind, the uncertainty to fly alone and for the first time, or my inexperience with the procedures at the airport contributed to this calamity, but even my neighbor on the plane added his bit of sand in the affair. All this situation was such traumatic to me that I even considered never daring to fly again.